1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates generally to devices for holding knives and/or other utensils. More specifically, the present invention concerns a container, such as a knife block, having a blade dressing assembly pivotally mounted therewith.
2. Discussion of Prior Art
Those ordinarily skilled in the art will appreciate that utensils often become worn through regular use. For instance, knife blades may become worn by continuous use of the knife's blade to cut a variety of foodstuffs, such as for instance, frozen foods, that may cause the blade to dull. Moreover, knives are often used with cutting boards, which may be formed of wood, granite, or some other hard material. Continually using a knife on a cutting board may accelerate wear of the blade because of continual contact with the cutting board. Thus, after long and repeated use, a knife's blade may require conditioning, or dressing, to restore and/or enhance the blade's performance characteristics. Different dressing techniques exist to restore and/or enhance blade performance, such as, for instance, sharpening, straightening, honing, polishing, buffing, and the like. Such dressing techniques may refurbish or restore the blade to optimal conditions for use.
Notwithstanding the need for dressing utensils, such dressing tools are often inconvenient to store and use. For instance, some knife blocks include a storage slot for butcher steels or sharpening rods. Storing dressing utensils in the knife block, however, sacrifices storage space for other utensils. Alternatively, if a dressing apparatus like a sharpening stone is stored elsewhere, the sharpener may be lost or it may not be conveniently accessible for use when required.